Bellew, backed by home support at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, felt he had done enough to get the better of Chilemba, but the judges decided no one was a clear winner and scored the bout as a draw.

Judge Christophe Fernandez scored the fight 116-112 in Chilemba's favour, with Eddie Pappoe feeling Bellew won by scoring the contest 116-115. Fabian Guggenheim was the judge who could not separate the pair and recorded the fight 114-114.

Bellew was adamant he had produced the goods to secure the victory, and by missing his chance to book a title showdown with champion Chad Dawson wants to fight Chilemba for a second time to rectify his errors.

"I want an immediate rematch, I'm willing to get right back in with him. I'd do it right now. I know there's mistakes that I made, but that rests on my shoulders - I made those mistakes and I know I could have done more," said the 30-year-old.

And on how the encounter went, Bellew believes he had more to give. "He had a good round, it gave him a bit of momentum and he really started to come into the fight. That's my fault," he said.

"You can't make excuses at this level and I could have done more. I didn't go through the gears in the way I should have done. I'm learning, but I'm learning at the highest level."